Common APA mistakes and how to fix them
Quick answer
The most common APA mistakes are extra space between paragraphs, line spacing other than double, capitalizing every word in a book title, citing without listing the source, and writing "Retrieved from" before a DOI. All of them take minutes to fix.
What formatting mistakes are most common?
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Blank line between paragraphs | Spacing at 0 pt; paragraphs are marked by the indent |
| Single or 1.5 spacing | Double throughout |
| Indent made with spaces | 0.5-inch first-line indent |
| Different font in tables or references | One font throughout |
| Page number in the footer | Top right |
| Justified text | Left aligned |
What citation mistakes are most common?
- Citation with no reference: it is in the text, missing from the list.
- Reference with no citation: it is in the list, never cited.
- Different year: the text says 2022 and the list says 2021.
- No page number on a direct quote.
- Three or more authors named instead of "et al."
What reference mistakes are most common?
- Title case on book titles instead of sentence case.
- Italics on the article title instead of the journal.
- "Retrieved from" before a link.
- A DOI without the https://doi.org/ format.
- A publisher city, which APA 7 dropped.
- An unordered list.
How do I do a quick check?
- Run the format guide checklist.
- Find each in-text year and confirm it exists in the references.
- Walk down the list and confirm each entry is cited.
- Read titles aloud to catch extra capital letters.
Checklist
- No extra paragraph spacing
- Double spacing
- Citations and references match
- Sentence-case titles
- DOI as a link
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common APA mistake?
In-text citations that do not match the reference list: a source is missing, an extra one appears, or the last name or year differs. Check each pair one by one before submitting.
How do I quickly check an APA paper?
Run a fixed list: margins, font, spacing, indent, page numbers, headings, citations and references. Then match each citation to its entry. With a set list, the check takes ten minutes.
Do APA errors lower my grade?
It depends on the instructor. Some grade format and some grade only content. Citation errors are more serious because they can read as plagiarism even when they are honest accidents, so double-check them first.